(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid filled apparatus which reacts with the stimulus of an outside force, hereinafter referred to as Reactive Energy Apparatus in a shoe upper that provides a custom fit to a shoe wearer's ankle and support for the ankle. In particular, the present invention pertains to anatomically shaped fluid filled bladders or pads that are enclosed in the upper of a shoe and are positioned in the upper to engage and assume a complementary custom fitting configuration by creating uniform pressure to both sides of the shoe wearer's ankle by the displacement of the fluid. The fluid pads are separated by a portion of the shoe upper in the area of the wearer's Achilles tendon to avoid exerting a force against and possibly causing injury to the Achilles tendon.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Various methods and devices have been employed in the prior art seeking to develop a shoe upper that provides ankle support to a wearer of a shoe while also providing a comfortable fit around the ankle. This is especially true in the field of athletic footwear, for example in high top football and basketball shoes and in ski boots.
In many types of shoes, in order to provide support to the ankle the shoe upper must be securely closed or laced tight around the ankle of the shoe wearer. In efforts to make such a shoe upper comfortable to the shoe wearer, padding is provided around the shoe upper in the area of the ankle. However, in many situations the padding of the shoe upper provides a tight supporting fit around the wearer's ankle for only a limited extent of movement of the ankle. Because the padding is fixed to the inside of the shoe upper, in many bending movements of the ankle the shoe upper, along with its padding, create unequal pressure around the ankle, thereby reducing or eliminating its support for the ankle.
To overcome the inability of the padded shoe upper to continuously move with the ankle and provide a continuous supporting and comfortable fit of the shoe upper around the ankle, shoe uppers with fluid filled pads were developed.
The fluid filled pads conform to the shape of the shoe wearer's ankle as the shoe upper is secured around the ankle. During movement of the ankle, the fluid in the pads is displaced, causing fluid to be forced from the pad in areas of the shoe upper where the ankle exerts pressure on the pad, and causing the displaced fluid to flow to areas of the pad where ankle pressure is reduced during movement. The flow of fluid within the compartments where ankle pressure is reduced causes the compartments to expand in these areas and maintain a comfortable, supporting contact with the ankle.
However, many prior art shoe uppers containing fluid filled pads are disadvantaged in that the pads exert pressure on sensitive areas of the wearer's ankle during certain movements of the ankle. Prior art fluid filled pads designed to provide continuous support to opposite sides of the ankle typically extended completely around the ankle to enable fluid from one side to flow freely to the other side of the fluid pad. These prior art pads also exert fluid pressure on the sensitive area of the Achilles tendon. During some movements of the ankle, the fluid pressure exerted on the Achilles tendon could lead to injury of the tendon.
What is needed to provide a comfortable and supporting fit to the ankle of a shoe wearer is a shoe upper incorporating a Reactive Energy Apparatus that is dynamically reactive to provide a continuously changing comfortable and supporting fit of the shoe upper around the ankle of a wearer as the ankle moves. It is important that the Reactive Energy Apparatus does not apply pressure on the Achilles tendon that could lead to injury.